Are We Re-Inventing the Wheel!?

Hey Friends!

I have an interesting take to share with you as it relates to 21^st Century Skills. In my surfing and looking around in regards to what skills and competencies are need from our high school graduates, I ran across this acronym…SCANS

SCANS stands for: Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills.

According to the United States’ Department of Labor website, in 1990, the Secretary of Labor appointed a commission to determine the skills our young people need to succeed in the world of work. Although the commission completed its work in 1992, its findings and recommendations continued to be a valuable source of information for individuals and organizations involved in education and workforce development.

SCANS is made up of 5 competencies and a 3 -part foundational skills and personal qualities that are need for solid job performance.

These skills include:

Workplace Skills
Effective workers can productively utilize:
	Resources	They know how to allocate time, money, materials, space, and staff.
	Interpersonal Skills	They can work on teams, teach others, serve customers, lead, negotiate, and work well with people from culturally diverse backgrounds.
	Information	They can acquire and evaluate data, organize and maintain files, interpret and communicate, and use computers to process information.
	Systems	They understand social, organizational, and technological systems; they can monitor and correct performance; and they can design or improve systems.
	Technology	They can select equipment and tools, apply technology to specific tasks, and maintain and troubleshoot equipment.
Foundation Competencies
Competent workers need:
	Basic Skills	Reading, writing, arithmetic, and mathematics, speaking and listening.
	Thinking Skills	The ability to learn, reason, think creatively, make decisions, and solve problems.
	Personal Qualities	Individual responsibility, self-esteem, self-management, sociability, and integrity.

Source: http://pbl-online.org/end_in_mind/emexplore/charts/scans_skills.htm

Now here is my take that I would like to share... It may even be a question. SCANS sound very much like what we are embracing with 21st Century Skills. 


Question: Are we re-inventing the wheel when we think about 21^st Century Skills? 


What do you think!?

OT